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Reviews

Sadly this is our last year at St. Thomas. My only complaint so far is that it stops at 5th grade. Our experience here has been wonderful and for my son life changing. St. Thomas brings out the best in all of it's students.

- submitted by a
parent

April 30, 2014

St. Thomas is a warm, caring, loving atmosphere that provides outstanding educational opportunities from a highly qualified staff. The art, drama, and music programs are especially creative and engaging. The core values of Competence, Creativity, Character, and Compassion are emphasized on a daily basis. St. Thomas has been voted "the best private school in the Bay Area" two years in a row and the majority of our new students come from glowing referrals from out parents. The teachers view the students as individuals and adjust their curriculum and teaching styles to bring out the best in each child. We have a wonderful before and after care program that concentrates on getting homework completed, crafts, and physical activity. We have numerous after school programs such as quilting, karate, music lessons, Jump Bunch, chess club, and art lessons. There are field trips to numerous educationally interesting venues, including a week-long camping trip in the fall for the 3rd-5th graders. The PreK-3 and PreK-4 programs are very advanced and do an excellent job of preparing the children for Kindergarten and first grade. We embrace the whole family in a very nurturing atmosphere.

- submitted by a
teacher

April 29, 2014

St. Thomas truly offers the best primary education I could wish for. My child is blossoming and excelling more then I could imagine as are her peers. The teachers are very supportive, caring and truly teach. The head of school greets the children almost every morning with true enthusiasm. The children are always hugging her and the teachers with joyous smiles. The playground is spacious, safe, shaded and full of fun equipment for out children to play. I highly recommend this school!

- submitted by a
parent

April 29, 2014

I would. It take my child anywhere else. I say this as an educator myself. I have the highest standards. I expect a lot from my child's school and St Thomas exceeds my expectations. I want to be a part of my child's education and they are the only school in the area that let's me truly be a part of her learning process. This is the best of homeschooling without my having to do the work! Most amazing is the ability for me to come in and eat lunch with my child! No where in the area allows you to do that!

- submitted by a
parent

April 02, 2014

This school has a rigorous curriculum and caring teachers. My child loves being surrounded by supportive classmates and enjoys the challenges of individualized learning. If you want your child to go to school with a smile in the morning, this is the school for you. I wish St Thomas the Apostle school continued all the way through high school!

- submitted by a
parent

October 24, 2013

St Thomas is really a great school. My son has ADHD and the small class size helps him get the teacher time he needs. The staff is all wonderful. My kids go in most mornings to hug the principal because they love her! I would highly recommend St Thomas for any family that wants their kids to get a Christian education or that has a child that needs a little more teacher attention.

- submitted by a
parent

October 24, 2013

Both my grandchildren go to St Thomas and love it. I love the fact the teachers know them by name, and hugs are free and plentiful. The outstanding teachers are caring and seem to genuinely care for the children.

- submitted by a
community member

October 24, 2013

Wonderful school.caring.loving teachers and staff. The curriculum is top notch and highly comparable to public schools. Teachers are willing and capable of changing their teaching methods to fit the individual child.

- submitted by a
community member

August 10, 2013

My children attended this school and it is a wonderful school with amazing teachers & curriculum. The Pre-K, Kinder, 1st & 2nd grades are especially strong. The librarian is amazing. My kids left the school with a desire for reading that is unsurpassed thanks to her individual attention to each child. The parent who mentioned that this school was more of a MDO is wrong. She is a disgruntled ex-parent who was asked to leave because she was so incredibly difficult and disrespectful to the teachers. STAES is not just a school, it is a safe and loving environment for your children. You give your child a well-rounded education and life-long friendships. It is a family. The cons to STAES is that other families have not found it yet, and the class sizes have remained too small. A few more children in each class would be better. Due to this the cost has gotten a little too high. The strength is the teachers, but the current principal would be better suited to teaching at a University. Her PHD in curriculum is impressive, but her management and admin skills need a great deal of improvement. Luckily she has a good staff and school board to help overcome these shortcomings.

- submitted by a
parent

July 28, 2013

The diversity in some of the comments made is a concern.... seems like some parents believe their children are receiving the attention and care warranted for the cost of a private school, and others are not. I talked with a previous parent who said their child was the only one in their class not doing well, and there was no initiative by the teacher or school to assist. Makes me wonder if the school is set up for only those that fit a mold... also, the facility concerns commented on in January and just recently are also a concern. So... why would I choose this over other options like Galloway?

- submitted by a
parent

July 10, 2013

In response to the review by the parent on May 24th. What was said could not be further from the truth. All of the elementary teachers have been in place for more than 5 years, some from 15 to even 20 years at St. Thomas. It is a wonderful place where children flourish to their fullest potential. For example, for their entire time here at St. Thomas, in addition to the basics, my children have had homework assigned to them based on their individual needs (they weren't challenged enough before and got bored FAST). Also, the overall standardized test scores from past two years are excellent as well. My children have been exceedingly happy here, and are building healthy and accepting peer relationships. Also, they are definitely outpacing their peers at other area schools - except perhaps Galloway, which I hear great things about as well. Sure the facilities are a little dated, but we've experienced brand new schools with all the latest gizmos and whatnots and were VERY disappointed with the quality of education received. In my opinion, St. Thomas is the best elementary school in the Bay Area.

- submitted by a
parent

July 10, 2013

Two years ago, my son started here in preK, and my daughter, who is 2 grades ahead of him, was attending an exemplary/award winning public school in the area. The experience my son was having, and the quality of teachers, and the learning experience was so vastly superior to my daughter's that the second there was an opening in her grade we applied for it. Luckily she was approved for admission, and we haven't looked back. The teachers are loving and genuinely care about each and every student and the tuition is work the sacrifices we're making. I know this because not once have my children said they were bored in school. I cannot recommend this school highly enough.

- submitted by a
parent

February 02, 2013

I am a parent with two children attending St. Thomas now and have been there now for 3 years. We are extremely pleased with the education that is taught here. The teachers are wonderful and they do a lot of hands on instruction. My children have been through the pre-k program and after reading the comment that 'was written by the parent below, I was very upset in the way they spoke about st. Thomas . It is not a Mother's Day out program. Both pre-k 3 and pre-k 4 have a curriculum. If you are looking for a pre-k program you should come out and see for yourself that this is an excellent school. There is a very low teacher/student ratio, which allows for a lot of one on one instruction. As for the security statement, that is false!!! St. Thomas teaches are students in a safe environment.

- submitted by a
parent

January 09, 2013

We were so excited to have finally found a school for our children where the staff was very friendly and appeared well equipped to teach to our high standards. However we were very mistaken. Their PreK program is nothing less than a Mother's Day Out (MDO) program as they learned absolutely nothing whilst attending the school. The school has no security for the safety of the children and majority their curriculum were printed from Google, the same sites that I use at home to do projects with my kids. We withdrew after 3 months. The Prek-4 teacher was unable to differentiate teach to my son's level as he needed to be challenged. The Prek-3 teacher did absolutely nothing worth writing about. Unfortunately we felt that having our children in a MDO program would have benefited them more than this private institution which lacked in many areas except for their warm staff.

- submitted by a
parent

November 09, 2012

Having come from another private school, we wish we'd come to St. Thomas sooner. The quality of the teachers at St. Thomas is vastly superior, and the head of school, who has a doctorate and is a curriculum specialist, is a huge asset. The people here are also genuinely friendly and welcoming. I'd read some review some time ago that described this school as a hidden "gem" in Nassau Bay--very true.

- submitted by a
parent

September 05, 2011

If you are looking for brand new facilities, look elsewhere. If, however, you want your children to learn and grow in a loving, challenging, and developmentally appropriate environment, visit St. Thomas. The wonderful St. Thomas family is why our children are starting their fourth year at the school. Go Geckos!

- submitted by a
parent

December 13, 2010

St. Thomas has a new head of school that has brought new life, new ideas and LOVE back to the children! The teachers are as wonderful as always but now we have a head that loves the children as much as their own parents. She has a PHD in school curriculum so she has knowledge of teaching to add as well as her wonderful leadership! My 7 year old was eating dinner last night and said, of her drink, this is a liquid and a liquid takes the shape of its container. They not only learn about things from books...they DO so the knowledge really sticks with them.

- submitted by a
parent

October 18, 2010

This school takes great pride in structuring a learning environment the benefits the WHOLE child, and not just worksheets to be recalled for a test. The decision to move my kids out of, what is known as, an excellent school district and join the St Thomas Family is one my truly great moves as a parent. They are happy and learning more about a variety of topics. Both of my kids spirits are fed in an excellent environment. I can't say enough about the quality of staff. Second to none.

- submitted by a
parent

May 04, 2010

Awesome school!! My children are so happy here!

- submitted by a
parent

April 27, 2010

I really love this school. The teachers are caring and the needs of the students come first. The children are treated like children and not little adults. My ds loves to get up and go to school every single day. The students don't compete with each other but help each other to excel.. It is a prefect environment for elementary. The parental involvement is just right. Everyone I have met this year has been so nice and welcoming. The biggest change is out of school gatherings do not turn into complaining sessions. Their is a real sense of community. We fit in here perfectly. I am so glad to have found a place to call home for the next five years. I can't say enough good things about this school!!

- submitted by a
parent

November 30, 2009

Also disagree with the March 30, 2009 post. St. Thomas The Apostle has been a wonderful experience for my family. My child feels loved, respected, and receives excellent grades. As much as I enjoyed the old director, the new interim Head of School who arrived in Fall 2008, has made improvements to the program. I've always felt an open door policy with all of the staff. All the teachers are degreed, and several have been teaching at this school for many, many years. The low student-teacher ratio is fantastic! The largest class we have experienced has been 11 students. The learning environment is not confined to the classroom, as there are several field trips and outdoor experiences every year, at every age group. The parent involvement is quite high also. This school truly feels like an extension of my own family.

- submitted by a
parent

March 30, 2009

There is an old adage that say's out with the old and in with the new, well, St. Thomas is no exception to this rule! As a once dedicated and welcomed parent, I see nothing that attracted our family to St. Thomas the Apostle existing anymore. The care, learning and family environment took a quick exit, when the director was replaced by a person who has no idea how to deal with the children or parents concerns. The once happy staff is now taken a turn for the worse on caring as well. Money not well spent!. Beware and keep searching for better Private schools, they are out there, we left St. Thomas the Apostle and it's the best decision we ever made. Keep searching other Schools! This one has seen better DAYS!

- submitted by a
parent

no ratingApril 08, 2008

My child has gone to school here for two years, and loves it. The teachers are phenomenal, and the school gives children a great beginning - they are in a place they love and it teaches them that school is a good place. The academics are great, and the focus is on learning but without pressure.

- submitted by a
parent

November 28, 2007

My Children have gone or go to school here and we have enjoyed it. The environment is so loving and our oldest child who is now in 6th grade had absolutely no problem upon leaving St Thomas. She is an honor role student and right on target in her studies. We have had no problems with disipline, and know that our children are in a place where they are loved, taught, and well cared for.

- submitted by a
parent

April 10, 2007

This review submitted without content.

- submitted by a
parent

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